Bobbie Louise Lovett

September 6, 1948 - February 4, 2016

Bobbie Louise Lovett passed away on Thursday, February 4, 2016 in McAllen, Texas. She was born in Harlingen, Texas on September 6, 1948 to Grant (Bob) and Louise Ruckman Lovett. After graduating from McAllen High School, Bobbie attended Texas A&I in Kingsville. In 1987, she returned to McAllen to continue her studies, obtaining a Masters degree. Bobbie eventually became an archaeologist and an instructor at South Texas College and the University of Texas-Pan American. She taught at South Texas College for more than 5 years and the University of Texas-Pan American for over 15 years. Her introductory anthropology courses were very popular, and they attracted many students to major and minor in that field. She was a pioneer in offering unique advanced courses that looked at comparative religion, women, and popular music from the perspective of an anthropologist. Bobbie was also a key figure in the creation and success of the CHAPS Program (Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools) at UTPA, a program that fosters the exchange of information among university students and faculty, secondary-school students, and the local community. She served as an instructor and specialist in stone tools within the multidisciplinary CHAPS course that studies the archaeology, geology, biology, oral history, and land records of local properties in cooperation with their owners. Bobbie traveled to Peru for the first time in 1989 as a student member of an archaeological project directed by Shelia and Tom Pozorski that focused on early Peruvian civilization. This field experience inspired her to pursue graduate studies in anthropology and archaeology at Texas A&M University. When Bobbie returned to the valley from A&M, the Pozorskis invited her to become a permanent member of their project; and she jumped at the chance. Bobbie was a vital member of this team for 20 years, working tirelessly in the field excavating, drawing, mapping, and recording architectural details, and in the laboratory studying artifacts she helped discover. In Peru, Bobbie lived with the students where she was fantastic as a guide to orient new arrivals to the small town of Casma, as a teacher of field methods, as a role model, as a mentor, and as a key link among the students, project directors, and Peruvian workmen. She touched many lives in both worlds. Bobbie was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by numerous cousins as well as her beloved pets—Pyewacket, JoJo, and Checkers. A visitation will be held on Sunday, February 7 at Kreidler Funeral Home in McAllen from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Graveside services will be held on Monday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Karnes City Cemetery in Karnes City, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CHAPS Program at UT Rio Grande Valley using the following link: https://give.utrgv.edu/chaps or to the Laurie P Andrews PAWS Center using the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/rgvpaws.